One man runs over another with SUV during fight

A man suffered leg injuries Monday when he was run over by a vehicle during a fight with another man in an Ashland park, and both now face criminal charges from the altercation, police said.

A man suffered leg injuries Monday when he was run over by a vehicle during a fight with another man in an Ashland park, and both now face criminal charges from the altercation, police said.

Michael Nixon, 42, suffered a fractured left ankle and ligament damage when he was run over by a sport utility vehicle driven by Daniel Werthaiser-Kent, 38, as he allegedly fled the scene of a 9:30 a.m. altercation involving a woman at Clay Street Park, according to the Ashland Police Department.

The incident began when Nixon discovered Werthaiser-Kent in the parked SUV with a woman police described as Nixon's wife. Nixon allegedly threw a 20-ounce hammer through the vehicle's rear window and then began to hit the driver's side door with an ax handle, police said.

That's when Werthaiser-Kent drove the SUV in reverse, running over Nixon's leg and fleeing the scene with the woman, leaving Nixon incapacitated, police said.

Police later found Werthaiser-Kent at his home and arrested him on a felony charge of hit-and-run driving that resulted in an injury, police said.

He was lodged at the Jackson County Jail, where he was being held Monday night on $10,000 bail.

His wife, Wendy Werthaiser-Kent, was cited for harrassment because she struck him, said Sgt. Hector Meletich with the Ashland Police Department.

Police said Nixon was taken to the Ashland Community Hospital for treatment. He was not listed Monday afternoon as a patient there, a hospital nursing supervisor said.

Police said Nixon was cited for criminal mischief and had other charges pending Tuesday, which the Jackson County District Attorney's office was going to review.